The present invention is directed toward the art of solar heating and, more particularly, to a solar energy collecting apparatus.
The invention is especially suited for use in collecting solar energy for heating air and will be described with reference thereto; however, as will be appreciated, the invention is capable of broader application and could be used for heating a variety of fluids by incident solar radiation.
There are currently many different types of solar energy collectors available. Often, these become structurally complex and relatively expensive to manufacture and operate. The subject invention has as its primary object the provision of a solar energy collecting apparatus which is generally simple and inexpensive to construct and operate. An apparatus formed in accordance with the subject invention can be readily used for heating air or other gaseous fluids. The apparatus itself can be comparatively compact and is easy to install and maintain.